ATF is in demand in Boston and Texas, but not in Washington, D.C.

A Boston Police officer, front left, talks with two ATF agents at the scene of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions, which killed three and injured more than 140, in Boston, Tuesday, April 16, 2013. The bombs that blew up seconds apart near the finish line left the streets spattered with blood and glass, and gaping questions of who chose to attack at the Boston Marathon and why. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

ATF is in demand in Boston and Texas, but not in Washington, D.C.

The perennial fight over gun control has left a key federal agency investigating the explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant and the bombings at the Boston Marathon without a full-time leader. Despite a recent push by President Obama, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is not likely to have a hired director any time soon, either. Former employees of the agency say they do not believe that will hinder the investigations into what caused the Texas plant explosion …